The Buddhist Churches of America, or the BCA, is a religious organization that attributes its roots to the arrival of Shin Buddhism Reverend Soryu Kagai, who came from Kyoto's Hompa Hongwanji Temple to Hawaii in 1889 to serve the growing Japanese population there. The BCA now has over 100 temples throughout the United States.

The BCA serves as the center of daily life for its members, as well as a spiritual center. The temples provide activities for people of all ages, from young children to seniors. The BCA houses many different organizations as well. Some organizations include Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Junior and Senior Young Buddhist Associations, Buddhist Women's and Men's Associations, and Young Adult and Adult Buddhist Associations.

This collection provides old panorama pictures of various BCA celebrations, conferences and other gatherings in the 1930's and 1940's. To see more panorama pictures, please visit The Japanese American National Museum. For the sake of comparison, this collection also includes pictures of these same temples as they look now, in 2007. To see additional modern pictures, please visit The Buddhist Churches of America website.

Copyright for the Buddhist Church of America panorama pictures is held by the Japanese American National Museum. Short-term educational use with limited circulation is permitted. For all other uses, please contact the Hirasaki National Resource Center at the Japanese American National Museum hnrc@janm.org